


Secret Santa

by Kaychan87



Series: Holiday Tales [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaychan87/pseuds/Kaychan87
Summary: Knowing that you have a crush on a certain doctor with rage issues, Tony and Natasha try to nudge the two of you in the right direction with some holiday shenanigans.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Reader
Series: Holiday Tales [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/357830
Kudos: 26





	1. Secret Santa

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Christmas 2018, I never ended up posting it for the holidays. Originally meant to be a one off drabble, it expanded into a second chapter (that was unfinished until this year) and now a third in the works.

“We're doing a Secret Santa.”

Those five little words would sound simple and festive had they come from anyone but Tony Stark. To the Earth's Mightiest, it sounded like just another crazy idea.

“I am unfamiliar with this ‘Secret Santa’ you speak of,” Thor said immediately after hearing it.

“Of course you are, Thunder Britches,” sighed Tony as he set his empty tumbler down. “Everybody draws a name from a hat and then has to buy a gift for the person they picked.”

“‘Thunder Britches’?” you asked. “Maybe someone should buy you a guide to nicknames.”

“Laugh it up, Tinkerbell,” scowled the former playboy. “I might not put your name in now.”

You placed a hand over your heart, pretending to be devastated by the idea. “No! Anything but that!”

Tony rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Thor. “So are you in?”

“I am indeed ‘in’,” replied the fair haired demigod.

“Because nothing could possibly go wrong with a Secret Santa orchestrated by Tony Stark,” you muttered with a shake of your head. You felt a hand on your back between your shoulder blades, warm and reassuring. You glanced over and saw that it was Dr. Banner who had come up next to you.

“She has a point,” he agreed.

Tony waved his friend off. “Nonsense! All my ideas are amazing!”

The good doctor muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like the words ‘murder bot’. He was unfazed when Tony glared daggers at him, making you smile a tiny bit. You felt that, while his intentions were mostly good, the way Tony went about things was a giant cluster fuck. There was no way to sugar coat it. Bruce Banner knew that better than anyone else and having his support meant a lot to you.

“Bruce gets to pick first,” Tony declared when it became apparent his best friend wasn't going to respond to his pointed looks.

“Awful convenient, don't you think?” pointed out Natasha.

“You doubt my honesty, Red?”

The former KGB spy just smiled sweetly at her friend. “All the time.”

“Then let's have Morgan Le Fey go instead. Or is that rigged too?” the often eccentric engineer quipped as he held out a bowl with little slips of folded paper in out out to you.

Rolling your eyes, you stepped towards Tony and away from Bruce. You instantly missed the feel of his hand on your back. You liked the quiet man's company, preferred it even. He never made fun of your size or gifts like Tony did. In fact, he often allowed you to hide out in his personal laboratory when Tony became too much. Secret Santa would probably drive you to spend more time down there.

“Remember, you can't tell anyone who you got,” Tony reminded you as you plucked a slip of paper from the bowl. The man smirked when you rolled your eyes at him. He seemed to live for annoying you. “You’re next, Red,” Tony moved from you to Natasha.

The red haired super spy practically lunged at Tony. You could only assume it was to beat a hasty retreat before Tony's antics escalated. In her haste, the usually graceful Black Widow managed to knocked the bowl out of Tony's hands.

Clint scoffed, “What the hell was that?” He raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

“A nightmare, that's what this is,” sighed Bruce. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly exasperated with whatever was going on with Tony and Natasha.

You made your way back over to the frazzled looking doctor. “You could make a run for it while they're distracted,” you suggested.

Bruce shook his head. “Those two are up to something.” 

“You think they rigged the Secret Santa?”

Bruce gave you a tight smile before he moved to where Natasha and Tony were trying to quickly pick up slips of paper. Curiosity compelled you to follow him, wanting to know if he was right. He knew Natasha and Tony a lot better than you did, after all. The odds of being right were in his favour.

The billionaire and the spy both blanched when Bruce picked up a stray paper. “Hey, (Name), who did you draw for Secret Santa?” He turned to look at you over his shoulder.

“Doesn't that defeat the point of this?” stammered Tony.

You turned red under Bruce's scrutiny and, flustered, and glanced down at the name you had drawn. You felt your cheeks grow even warmer at the name written down. It was almost too good to be true. You had drawn your crush for Secret Santa! And it was about to be ruined because Tony Stark was up to his usual shenanigans again.

“Well?” Bruce asked gently but expectantly.

All you could do at that point was let out a disappointed sigh. “I got you, Dr. Banner.”

“I got myself, too,” Bruce told you as he showed off the random paper he had picked up from the floor.

“Oh.”

You had thought you were used to Tony's games by that point. What you thought had been amazing luck had really been Tony Stark setting you up. That Natasha had helped made the embarrassment you felt sting that much worse.

“If… If you'll all excuse me… I forgot I have reports to finish.” All you wanted to do was get away from the room. You turned quickly and went to find some sort of sanctuary to sort out your thoughts and feelings. The last thing you heard as you made your escape was the start of an argument between Tony and Bruce that you knew would not end well. 

And you didn't care.


	2. You Just Ruined Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Secret Santa disaster, Bruce reflects on everything he learned whole Tony is certain his friend just ruined the wjole holiday.

“What did you go and do that for?” demanded Natasha as she glared daggers at Bruce. She stood up straight and glared at her former beau.

“Me?” the doctor asked in surprise. “This was you and Tony!”

“You really are an idiot sometimes,” sighed the red haired woman.

Bruce just continued to stare at her, dumbfounded that he was somehow respinsible for upsetting (Name). He had been trying to stop Tony from making a fool out of everyone, (Name) included.

“We were trying to give you and Puck there a nudge in the right direction,” added Tony. “But well done. You just ruined Christmas.”

“What are you talking about?”

Tony covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated groan. “You can't possibly tell me that you haven't realized she likes you.”

“She's a good kid,” said Bruce.

“Really? That's it? ‘She's a good kid’?”

“What do you want me to say, Tony?” demanded Bruce.

“Obviously that you like her, too!”

Bruce frowned at his two friends. Of course he liked (Name). She had always treated him with kindness and in return, Bruce had allowed her to use his personal lab as a place of refuge. She was still new to her abilities and new to being on the team. If anyone understood that type of adjustment, it was him. He hadn't exactly joined the Avengers under the best of conditions, either. He'd been on the run, hiding in the most remote parts of the world as he could.

He had seen himself in (Name) when she first came to the Avengers compound - the tiny young woman with tenuous control over her nature. She had looked like she wanted to run from the compound. Bruce later found out she was worried about what she might do, being surrounded by so much actual nature. Her Inhuman gift allowed her to communicate with and control plant life, something that was less easily done in a large urban area. The scientist had done everything he could think of to help her manage her anxiety surrounding her abilities, allowing them to become closer than he'd ever imagined they would. The lab felt cold and lonely when she wasn't there. He missed the way she would ask him questions about the various projects he had going. He appreciated that her interest was genuine; she didn't engage him just to butter him up so she could continue to hide in his space. She also made sure Bruce remembered to eat and drink plenty of water. Her company kept him from falling into a rabbit hole of nonstop work.

But that didn't mean (Name) liked him as more than a friend. Or that he liked her more than a friend. Bruce covered his face with his hands and groaned. There was no way Tony could be right. There was just know way - right? Bruce would know if he was developing feelings for (Name). He was undoubtedly fond of her and watching her run off like that had upset him. Was that more than platonic love though? Or was it something deeper? Did he want something deeper than friendship? Was it really possible (Name) did too? She had looked so distraught as she left and the idea that it was because of him unsettled Bruce. 

"She doesn't have any reports to finish, does she?" Bruce asked as he lowered his hands from his face.

"I think the Dr. Jekyll is starting to understand the situation," quipped Tony. Natasha replied with an eye roll.

"To be clear, your little scheme here ruined Christmas," Bruce reminded Tony as he handed his friend all the slips of Secret Santa papers with his name on them.

"Did it though? You're aware that Thumbelina is crushing on you hard now. You're welcome."

Bruce ignored Tony as he turned to leave the room. He would not let (Name)'s Christmas be ruined. He was going to make it up to her, somehow.


	3. Carolling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce tries to make up for the Secret Santa mishap by surprising you with a personal gift.

You had been in your room, hiding from your teammates since Tony and Nat had sabotaged you. Your usual hideout was no longer safe; there was no way you could show your face to Bruce again. In fact, you were certain you would never be able to face the rest of the team ever again after that debacle. You would stay in your room with all your Christmas decorations. If you were lucky, your little holiday fern wouldn’t become a casualty of your powers.

An hour into rearranging the decorations for the umpteenth time, there was a knock at your door. You groaned but set down the Christmas stocking you had been trying to find a new spot for. It could wait for you to summarily dismiss whoever had come to visit you. Despite putting yourself back into the holiday spirit, there was still anger simmering under it all. If Tony or Nat thought they could apologize and all would be forgiven, they would have another thing coming. Stomping across the room, you threw open the door. “If you’re here to apologize, you can go straight to - Bruce?!”

The doctor blinked, stunned by the tirade he had been greeted with. “Should I come back?” he asked softly.

“N-no! I thought you were Tony and… I’m so sorry, Bruce!” you stammered, your cheeks burning with embarrassment. 

“May I come in?” he asked, nodding his understanding of the situation. 

Nodding, you felt your face grow even warmer at the thought of Bruce Banner in your personal space. You made room for him to enter and shut the door behind him. For a few moments, the two of you did nothing but stand in awkward silence, him shifting his weight from foot to foot and you avoiding eye contact. There was no way he didn’t know about your crush on him and that made things even more awkward when you finally glanced up to see him studying you. “Is there something I can do for you?” Curiosity won out over nervousness and you found yourself suddenly meeting his gaze.

Bruce’s cheeks reddened almost immediately. He ran a hand nervously through his hair before answering. “I was hoping to, uh, make things up to you. I didn’t know what Tony and Nat were planning.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Taking a deep breath, Bruce cleared his throat and looked skyward. “Okay FRIDAY, I’m ready,” he said to the compound’s AI system.

“Of course, Dr. Banner.”

Bruce cleared his throat again as the opening chords to your favourite Christmas carol began to play through FRIDAY’s speaker system. With his face turning a deeper shade of red, Bruce cleared his throat one more time and began to sing. 

He looked slightly uncomfortable standing there, serenading you. He was off key and stumbling over the words as though he had just learned them. You felt your anger at Tony and Natasha melt away, replaced by feelings of giddy endearment for the man standing before you. “FRIDAY, you can stop now,” you called out to the AI, hoping to spare Bruce from any more embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really sing… or celebrate Christmas,” apologized Bruce, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He had to take a step back as you threw your arms around him. “I thought that might be your favourite. You’ve been humming it a lot,” he added as he awkwardly returned your hug.

You tried to pull back with nervous laugh but Bruce's arms stayed wrapped loosely around you. "It was perfect. Thank you for that."

"Thank you for ending it sooner," returned the doctor.

"You looked so awkward, I had to."

"I know it doesn't change what happened, but I hated the idea of you being alone and upset," he explained. 

"That was very sweet of you," you told him before leaning in to place a light kiss on his cheek.

Bruce smiled slowly at you. "(Name), Tony said you like me. Do you?"

Tony's name was bow at the top of your shit list. "Of course, Bruce. You've been such a good friend to me…." you trailed off as Bruce's face dropped slightly. He murmured an "oh" softly before immediately releasing you.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, (Name)," he said as he stepped back from you.

You grabbed for his hand to stop him. “Wait, Bruce, no! I mean, I do like you as a friend, but I like you more, too! I just… I mean, I know, um… it’s not like you like me.”

Lacing his fingers through yours, Bruce tugged you closer to him again. “I like you, too.”   
  


“R-really?” you asked, surprised. You smiled up at the man before leaning in and kissing him quickly. “Best Christmas ever,” you giggled as you took in his surprised expression.

Bruce chuckled at your mirth. “Merry Christmas, (Name).”

“Merry Christmas, Bruce.”


End file.
